Wrong Path
by corneroffandom
Summary: Jack Gallagher is ok with the way things are. Until something happens to Brian Kendrick that makes him rethink most of his decisions.


The day starts off normally enough. Hotel, quick breakfast, driving around town a little to pass some time, then going to the arena. 205 Live guys usually just wander around, enjoying catering, sometimes getting some in-ring training in, usually just watching the Smackdown guys prepare for their show while they wait for their turn. Jack Gallagher nods genially at Drew Gulak as they walk by each other, a small smile crossing his face as Drew salutes him before continuing on to find Ariya Daivari. He has no match on 205 Live later, but he thinks Drew wants to talk to Drake later in front of the cameras, so Jack remains in his suit, keeps his hair touched up as best as he can, never sure _when_ Drew will grab a random cameraman and do these things.

They're an hour out from Smackdown starting when things go wrong. Jack hears the telltale signs of an argument- yelling, things crashing around, and the obvious sound of something breaking. He gets curious and peeks around the corner to try to see what's going on- when he realizes. It's Daniel Bryan standing over a broken table with a motionless body trapped among the pieces, and... there's only one person with that length of thick, brown hair here currently. Jack walks forward on numb legs but before he can even get there, Akira Tozawa arrives, confirming his worst fears, and he starts shouting in Japanese in Daniel's face, turning to kneel by Brian before getting back in Daniel's face. Daniel retreats, holding his hands up as he backs away, but Jack's eyes are only for Brian right now as he creeps closer.

His thoughts go in circles as he stares at the floor under the table. _Blood. Why is there blood? There shouldn't be..._ Now Akira is in his face, staring him down, saying things Jack can't really fathom, but he ignores him. Pushes him aside and kneels down by Brian. "Mr. Kendrick?" he asks quietly, reaching out for him. Getting slammed through a table is brutal, yes, of course, but being still for this long, not moving even the littlest, isn't ordinary. "Come now, this is ridiculous-" His hand is trembling, he realizes, as he touches Brian's shoulder and slowly, carefully rolls him over.

Tozawa curses, sharply, behind him and Jack feels ill himself as he stares down at Brian. There had been things from catering on that table. Including, it seems, a sizeable knife that now finds itself embedded in Brian's side at an awkward angle, blood dripping steadily from the wound. He shakes off his nausea and stands, grabbing Tozawa. "Get the trainer," he snaps. The man won't be able to do _much_ , but it will perhaps give Brian a few extra minutes while Jack waits for proper medical assistance. Tozawa runs off, fear on his face, and Jack exhales as he kneels back down by Brian. "It's fine," he says with as much British stoicism as he can muster. "You're going to be just fine. Get this nasty knife out of you, stitch you up, and you'll be back to annoying everyone around you before we even realize it, eh?"

But he knows this is wrong, cheap words meant to comfort the still unconscious man before him. He swallows hard and touches Brian in a way he hasn't in public in a long time, ghosting his fingers down his smooth jaw, leaning in to kiss him. "You fight this," he whispers to him. "You do _not_ get to leave me right now, do you hear me,, you bloody ridiculous man?" He hears Tozawa chattering rapidly to the trainer and pulls away, grabbing for his phone. He dials 911 and waits for the operator to finish speaking before barrelling ahead. "Yes, I would like to report an attempted murder."

Police and ambulance arrive in record time, and Jack watches with grim satisfaction when they find Daniel Bryan, about to go out for some rambling mess of a promo about his championship and the state of the world, or some nonsense like that, and surround him, informing him and the McMahons that they will be taking him in for questioning based on Tozawa and Jack's statements gathered while Brian is getting tended to by EMTs, who quickly start to prepare him for transport. Jack is about to speak up, that he wants to go with, when Tozawa reaches out and squeezes Brian's hand, Jack immediately clamping his mouth shut and just watching as the Japanese man who's had Brian's back loyally the last few months shudders. "Go with him, Mr. Tozawa," Jack says, surprising himself as Akira looks up at him, eyes wide and shocked before he nods and quickly follows the stretcher into the ambulance.

Jack is almost glad he stayed when he watches as Daniel Bryan gets led forcefully towards the waiting cop cars. He steps forward and ignores the police officer who tries to bar his path. "He was one of your closest friends," he tells Daniel, watching the stubborn look on his face. "He always spoke so highly of you to me, he would've done anything for you. You repay him by stabbing him? Truly?" He scoffs, watching some of the indifference fade from Daniel's face, then turns sharply on his heel and walks off to locate his car.

When he arrives, Brian is getting prepped for surgery. Jack swallows, hard, and listens as the doctor tries to explain things to him quickly, Jack and Tozawa both on Brian's emergency contact list clearing the path for them to get updates without worry about breaking some patient privacy law. "We're not sure the extent of his injuries," he explains briskly. "But he's still bleeding internally, and there may be damage to organs that we won't really be able to tell the depth of until we open him up. Hopefully it'll just be exploratory and we'll just have to patch him up and then close, but if not, this might be a really long night." He looks from Tozawa to Jack and exhales. "I'll try to keep you updated as best as I can."

Jack nods blankly. "Thank you," he says before sinking, slowly, into a chair and burying his face in his hands. "Bloody hell..."

Tozawa looks as lost and horrified as Jack feels, staring around the waiting room blankly. When he speaks, Jack peers at him quietly. "He... he will be fine. He is Brian Kendrick, the Man with a Plan. This will... be ok."

Which is a fine sentiment, one that Jack has clung to many times in the past, but the fact of the matter is that none of them had planned for this so everything seems to go out of the window in _what_ Jack thinks they can expect from this. But he says nothing, not entirely eager to shatter Tozawa's hope just yet.

The nurse comes by a few times but her words are next to meaningless to Jack, informing them that Brian is holding on, that surgery is taking a little longer than they'd expected, but they're about to close him up, etc, etc. Finally, around 11 PM, the nurse returns again with a small smile. "He is in recovery. Everything looks good, the doctor will be by in a little bit to tell you more."

"When can we see him?" Tozawa wonders, the nurse turning to smile at him.

"When we move him to a permanent room, perhaps. It won't be too long," she promises before bustling off.

Jack exhales, his knees feeling weak as he returns to his chair and stares at his hands. He and Brian had lost so much time when Jack had chosen to stay with Gulak, only coming back together once they'd lost that street fight to Brian and Akira. He still remembers running into Brian that night, how he'd looked him up and down and then smirked, just a little. How it'd done interesting things to Jack's insides, warmed him and frustrated him in equal measures, wanted to wipe that look right off of Brian's face. So he had, grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him in, kissing him roughly, body reacting in all of the best, familiar ways when Brian had pinned him against the wall, reclaiming control of the situation. It wasn't calm, it wasn't slow, it was just _them_ , rough and possessive and fast and when they were sated, Brian had looked him in the eye, long and hard, until Jack spoke. "I bloody _miss_ you, Mr. Kendrick."

Brian's laugh had been sharp with hurt and bitterness, but his eyes were clear when he'd dug his fingers into Jack's jaw and claimed his mouth all over again. "I miss you too, Jack," he mumbled, pressing his forehead against Jack's.

 _Only a few weeks,_ Jack thinks. They'd only gotten a few weeks back together, to lay long into the night, reconnecting on both physical and emotional levels, talking and touching and kissing, and it wasn't that great of a surprise to Jack that he'd quickly started having feelings for the ridiculous man who had been the bane of Drew Gulak's existence for the better part of the fall all over again. And now Brian is in recovery and Daniel Bryan is in police custody, and... Jack's head shoots up when Akira touches him, a dangerous look on his face that eases slowly when he sees the emotions on Tozawa's face. "He will be fine," the man tells him, speech slow and awkward, but certain in his convictions. "He is strong. A fighter. He will... he will come back to us."

Jack wants to snap. To yell at him that it might not be that easy. But he stays his hand. Tozawa _knows,_ apparently, had sensed it somehow, and his reaction is... no reaction at all. Whereas Drew would scream and lecture and probably create a Power Point Presentation for doomed relationships, Tozawa just rolls with it, minding his own business, and Jack realizes he appreciates that. Appreciates that Brian had had a friend these last few months so willing just to accept him for who he is, with no judgment, just support and gentle urging to change, to be the better man that Brian had yearned to prove himself being. So Jack simply nods in response.

They're allowed in one at a time once Brian is in his room and Akira motions Jack in first, so he goes in and he sits by Brian's side, and he holds his hand and thinks about everything that's gone wrong in the last few months. Ducks his head over their interlaced fingers and tries just to breathe. There are so many things he thinks he should say, but he only keeps coming back to one simple, selfish wish. "Come back to me," he whispers against Brian's lips before easing away, brushing his fingers down his cheek, along his jaw, carefully avoiding the oxygen tubing that's going up his nose to make his breathing easier post-surgery.

Jack leaves for a minute, gives Akira a turn to sit with him, but he's barely gotten himself a cup of weak, brutal coffee from the waiting room when he is rocked by a shocking degree of self-hatred, for abandoning Brian all of those months ago, for choosing Drew, for leaving him alone _now,_ even though he's only down the hall and it'd take him two minutes to get back to him. He shivers and buries his face in his hands before tossing his coffee out and marching back down the hall to Brian's room. Stands outside of the room and listens as Ariya talks lowly to him, sometimes in stilted English, sometimes in flowing, perfect Japanese.

It's his turn again, the sun starting to rise, when Brian begins to stir, his eyes a deep well of pain and uncertainty as he stares up at Jack, groggy and barely awake long enough for Jack to notice before his eyes slip shut again. It's not much but it gives him strength to hold onto, aware that Brian is still with them, that he is fighting to come back to them. He's not sure what's happening with Daniel Bryan, hopes the police are working to throw the book at him, so when it's Tozawa's turn again, he finds his phone and dials Drake Maverick. "Hullo," the 205 Live GM says, sounding exhausted and completely on his last, professional nerve.

"Tell me what's going on with Daniel Bryan," Jack greets him coolly and Drake exhales roughly.

"I have been talking with Shane McMahon and law enforcement for the better part of the night, Mr. Gallagher," he says. "They are holding him while they investigate the matter. For now, it appears once they have Brian Kendrick's statement, if it confirms everything you and Mr. Tozawa has claimed, he will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon and perhaps more serious charges than that."

Jack likes the sound of that, taking some sort of cruel pleasure out of the thought of Brian's nearly-murderer behind bars for a very long time. "Good," he says, before looking up to find Akira waving wildly at him. "I have to go." Without waiting for Drake's response, he hangs up and marches back over, entering the room and exhaling softly upon finding Brian awake again, this time just a little more alert than the time before.

"Jack," he breathes out weakly, smiling when Jack takes his hand.

"Brian," Jack whispers back, rubbing his knuckles soothingly. "Do you need anything?"

Brian blinks a few times and Jack waits patiently, watching him struggle through his drug-heavy thoughts. "What... happened?" he finally asks and Jack sighs, looking away. "Jack? I... did I get hurt in-ring again? Why am I in the hospital?"

Jack shakes his head, lips twisting in frustration as he thinks about that. Between Itami busting Brian's face, and his leg injury just before Drew and he left him in the dust, it really hasn't been the best year for the guy. And now this... "I don't know how to tell you this," he says slowly, hoping that Brian will fall back asleep before he can finish, but no, Brian's eyes are clear, and locked on him. He stares at his hands for a moment before staring at Brian, squaring his shoulders for whatever may come from this. "Daniel Bryan attacked you," he says slowly, almost hesitantly. "Brian, he... he _stabbed_ you and threw you through a table. You needed surgery."

Brian lays there, silent and focused on Jack's face, as if expecting him to laugh and announce he was joking. "No, that's impossible," he finally says. "Daniel... he wouldn't do that."

Jack scrubs at his face. "I know it's hard to believe," he breathes out. "But I saw... you laying in a destroyed table with a knife in your side. Tozawa witnessed it as well." Brian still looks like he's not believing it and Jack reaches out, gripping his hands. "I know you don't want to believe this of your friend, but he's changed, Brian. He's snapped, remember how he attacked Mustafa Ali? You saw that first hand, even you couldn't get him to calm down that night."

Brian's brow furrows as he squeezes Jack's hand back. "Ali... I think..."

"What?" Jack asks, confused.

"I think... we were arguing about that," he murmurs. "He... was mad I was defending Ali and not taking his side." Brian shakes his head. "It still doesn't make sense." But his energy is waning, and Jack leans over, brushing his knuckles over Brian's forehead. "Jack... I..."

"You have to rest," Jack interrupts softly. "There will be time to sort out your memories later. Sleep, Brian. I'll be here when you wake up."

Brian blinks sluggishly at him. "Where's Daniel right now?"

Jack doesn't answer right away, and Brian's eyes slip closed despite his best attempts at fighting it. As soon as he's sure Brian's asleep, Jack lays his hand down and settles back in the chair, shivering slightly. _Brian won't like at all that I and Tozawa had Daniel taken off by the police, but truly, what else were we supposed to do?_

He mulls it over the entire time Brian's asleep, and when he awakes once more, Tozawa is lurking around the bed as well, reading a few of the notices on the walls, information that the nurse had written down on the erase board with Brian's vitals and other pertinent information. They both look over and then ease closer as Brian hisses against the pain, Tozawa running to get the nurse. After she looks Brian over and injects something into his IV, he soon relaxes and Jack smiles down at him, rubbing his arm. "Better?"

"Yeah," he breathes, reaching out to rest his hand over Jack's. "Hey, Akira."

"Hello, Brian." He rubs Brian's shoulder and bows his head, teeth flashing as he grins at his friend. "I am glad you are awake."

"Hey, me too, buddy," he says, leaning back against the pillows and smiling sleepily up at him. Turning his attention back to Jack, he grows serious. "What's going on with Daniel? Is he still in trouble for all of this?"

Jack sighs in exasperation. "He _stabbed_ you, Brian. Of course he's in _trouble._ "

Brian closes his eyes for a moment before looking back at Jack. "I don't think that's right," he says slowly. "My memories are scattered but I remember enough of our argument to know- he didn't _have_ a knife."

"He may have grabbed it from a catering table during the parts you don't remember," Jack tells him. "I don't know, I don't really care. I just know his actions led to you being in here, requiring surgery." But Brian still doesn't look convinced and Jack shakes his head, looking away. "I'll see what I can find out," he mumbles, grabbing his phone and leaving for a few minutes, anger welling up within him that Brian so easily believes in Daniel's innocence despite his injuries, every sign that points towards Daniel's guilt.

He breathes in and out deeply, leaning against the walls of the hospital and closing his eyes as he tries to relax before dialing Drake's number again. This time, the 205 Live GM sounds more awake, less frustrated. "Hullo, Mr. Gallagher."

"Hello. Are there any updates on what's going on with Daniel Bryan?"

"The police are still investigating," Drake says. "So far it seems that the few people who witnessed it only observed the argument and Daniel sending Mr. Kendrick through the table. No one was close enough to see if he had a knife or not."

Jack sighs tiredly. "Are there any security cameras, do you know?"

"Those are being perused now to see if there's a decent angle on the argument, yes," Drake says. "I'm waiting for an update myself. How about I call you back later with what I'm told?"

It's not what Jack wants, but he knows there's not much else he can do but wait. "Fine," he says slowly. Hanging up, he stands in the chilly evening air and breathes in and out deeply until he feels less like strangling something, choosing then to go inside and check on Brian, who is once more fast asleep. He watches him for a few moments, ignoring Tozawa as he leans in and lightly kisses Brian on the corner of the mouth. "I know you think he's innocent," he whispers into Brian's ear. "But I'm not sure, and that is more than enough for me to do all I can to protect you. Especially considering I have failed so spectacularly at it the last few months."

Brian is awake once more, Jack patiently feeding him some pudding from his tray, when Jack's phone rings and he curses quietly before realizing that it's Drake. "Yes?" he asks upon handing over the spoon to Tozawa so he can answer it.

"I was sent a copy of the security camera footage," Drake says. "I feel like you should see it. May I come to you? How _is_ Mr. Kendrick doing?"

"He's awake," Jack says slowly, itching to have proof of Daniel Bryan's actions one way or another. "Fine, you may come."

"Very well. See you in about ten minutes."

Jack hangs up and looks up to find both Akira and Brian staring at him. "Mr. Maverick is coming over," he says quietly. "He has security camera footage of the... incident between you and Daniel. I suppose we will know one way or another shortly."

Brian sits up a little straighter at this, gritting his teeth as even this movement pulls at the stitches along his side. "Great," he says, the certainty in his gaze not slipping as Jack looks away, frustrated that even now, despite the pain and everything else coming from this injury, Brian _still_ believes Daniel is innocent.

When Drake arrives, he puts his laptop down and stands by Brian's bed, hands folded behind his back. "Well, you look fairly well, considering," he says with a small smile. "I am sorry this has happened, Mr. Kendrick. Don't worry about recovery times or anything else, there will always be a place for you on the 205 Live roster as long as I am in charge."

Brian nods. "Thank you." He casts a side glance at Tozawa. "See, he's not so bad."

Tozawa shrugs. "You still fired!" he declares, pointing at Drake with another of his teeth-baring grins.

Drake simply rolls his eyes and chooses to ignore him, collecting his laptop. "I have the footage here," he says, showing a grainy image to them. As he presses play, Jack steps closer and watches as Brian holds his hands out consolingly towards Daniel Bryan, the lack of sound not hindering the obvious parts of the video- the only knife visible is the one on the table behind Brian with other catering nonsense scattered along it, and Jack thinks he knows what's going to happen next, but it's still startling to watch as Daniel attacks Brian, punching him repeatedly along the face, chest and abdomen. Brian tries to fight back, but Daniel is rigid with anger and hoists Brian up, slamming him through the table. As he steps back, pointing at Brian, Akira appears in the edge of the footage, and then Jack. "The footage ends there," Drake says needlessly as the screen goes dark and he closes his laptop.

Jack swallows, looking over at Brian. The attack had happened, yes, but Daniel hadn't knowingly stabbed him. It doesn't really change the anger Jack feels towards the WWE Champion, but just makes it more complicated. "Now what?" he wonders and Drake sighs.

"Shane McMahon and I have been in contact with the police, and, pending Mr. Kendrick's statement, which they should be here shortly to get, they're planning on releasing him shortly."

Brian frowns and interjects. "Wait, he's been in _jail?_ Jack-"

"He was in a holding cell," Drake corrects him. "While they investigated the situation. The McMahons have insured he was taken well care of. Don't worry, Mr. Kendrick."

Brian, however, doesn't look away from Jack. "You should've told me. I kept _asking._ "

"You were fresh out of surgery," Jack snaps back at him. "I didn't want you to do anything to risk your recovery. I thought..." He looks away. "I thought I was going to lose you, Brian. You cannot possibly be mad at _me,_ I'm not the one running around attacking people who I claim as my friend."

Brian grimaces, pinching his nose. "I don't want to press charges. When will he be released?"

"They want to talk to you first," Drake says. "Considering, it won't be long after that."

"Good," Brian breathes out and the four of them sit in tense silence after this, Jack still angry, Tozawa unsure if there's anything he can say or do to diffuse the tension. Finally, Drake takes his leave of them and Tozawa offers to go get drinks for himself and Jack, who nods in bleak acceptance. As soon as they're alone, Brian reaches out and snags Jack's hand, ignoring how tense he is. "Listen, I know you were just trying to do what you think is right by me, but Daniel is my longest friend _in_ wrestling. I know him better than I know most people. I knew he couldn't have done that. We have fought, we have injured each other, but we would never... go that far, you know? I'm sorry I scared you with all of this, but it's not Daniel's fault- he was reacting instinctively, as many of us have done in wrestling. He probably didn't even realize there was a knife on the table." He plays with Jack's fingers, tracing the lines of his palm and chuckling when Jack hisses and twitches at the ticklish sensation. "Do you forgive me?"

Jack shrugs. " _I'm_ not very fond of you taking Daniel's side over mine."

"I wasn't doing that," Brian tells him patiently. "Besides, if our roles were reversed, and this was Drew we were talking about, would you believe him capable of such things no matter what I claimed?"

"Probably not," Jack admits. Brian just smiles at him and Jack shakes his head, amused despite himself. "Cocky bugger," he mumbles, leaning in and kissing him. "If, however, Daniel ever does anything to injure you again, I _will_ see him pay one way or another," he promises.

"I'd expect nothing less," Brian hums, reaching out and cupping Jack's face as he kisses him back, slow, deep, Jack's breath catching deep in his chest as he grips Brian's arms and groans softly.

They're interrupted by Tozawa's return, the police behind him, and Jack pulls back, smiling impishly at Brian. "When you get out of here," he promises quietly, brushing his nose against Brian's before standing up and moving to collect his drink, giving the police space to take down Brian's recollection of his fight with Daniel.

By Friday, Daniel is out of jail and Brian is preparing to go home. Tozawa leaves to get back to WWE business, promising to call soon to check on Brian, and Brian gets the confirmation that he'll be released this afternoon after he walks the hallway, slowly, to the nurse's satisfaction. Jack rubs his back as he gingerly settles back into bed, and the nurse smiles at them as she adjusts his IV stand and returns the remote and call button to him. "Well, seems we'll be out of here soon," Jack says, sitting next to Brian on the bed.

"Seems so," he nods, resting his head on Jack's shoulder. "Thanks for staying with me."

"No problem," Jack says quietly, finding Brian's hand and giving it a light squeeze. "I'm just thankful you're doing so well." He'll need to go to his doctor and have the stitches out in a few weeks, resting and regaining his strength until that point, but all in all, he'd been quite lucky, the knife missing all vital organs despite the deep wound that had taken dozens of stitches to pull it all back together. Jack tries not to think about how badly it all could've gone otherwise, if the table had broken just a little differently, if the knife had embedded in a slightly altered angle.

"Me too," Brian sighs, closing his eyes and dozing off and on against Jack until the nurse returns with the tray full of questionable hospital food, Jack watching him. "I'm surprised Tozawa didn't say anything," Brian says when he catches Jack staring, reaching up to scrape his hands over the facial hair that had grown during his time in the hospital. "So much for _that_ makeover."

"Easily fixed," Jack shrugs, reaching out to touch Brian's jaw. "Besides, I've always enjoyed you looking like this." Brian smirks at him and Jack hums, enjoying the rasp against his skin as he explores Brian's mouth carefully.

"Home," Brian whispers against his lips and Jack nods.

"Right. Home."

Brian handles the release from hospital with stoic calm, getting dressed with some help from Jack and settling himself in the wheelchair without argument. Jack aches for him as he thinks about the different times Brian's been in the hospital just this past year- between his shattered orbital bone, getting his leg x-rayed, and now this. Too often, causing him to get comfortable with hospitals and their standards for patient care, especially at this stage. He reaches out and brushes his fingers through Brian's hair, smoothing it down as Brian looks up at him with a small, tired smile.

One quick flight later, Jack relieved when Brian's painkillers send him off to sleep so turbulence doesn't bother him too much, and they're back in California, Jack driving them back to Brian's house to settle him in among his cats and every random thing he's picked up over the years in the wrestling business. "Alright?" he asks softly, chuckling when one of the cats hop up and knead at Brian's jeans before settling in to sleep right there.

"Yeah. Thanks again, Jack," Brian says, eyes bright when Jack leans in to kiss him again.

"Is there anything you need?"

Brian shakes his head, a small smile playing at his lips. "Just you."

"Ah, well," Jack sighs, sitting down next to him. He's careful not to disrupt the cat or Brian's stitches as he plays with Brian's hair, kissing him softly, heart skipping a beat when Brian moans lowly into his mouth. They can't go much further until Brian heals but, Jack thinks, this is nice. Another way to reconnect, take things slow as they relearn how to properly be together once more.

The general domestic habits they fall into the next few days are disrupted when Jack has to return to 205 Live the following week, Gulak not even asking about Brian the entire time Jack is there. He's not surprised, but it is still frustrating because they had been close for months before Drew had decided Brian was becoming too opinionated for their partnership to continue. Which is clear that's what really happened no matter what Drew or Jack had said. Brian had decided not to beat that one jobber up, and Drew had had enough. He wonders what would happen if he should tell Drew that he's once more romantically entangled with Brian, but he keeps it to himself, nodding along with his fake little British smile as Drew speaks with Drake once more.

"A word, if you please, Mr. Gallagher," Drake says once the cameras are gone. Drew only hesitates for a moment before continuing on his way, Jack shrugging as he turns back to his boss. "Daniel Bryan is returning next week. Since Mr. Kendrick opted not to file charges, we've determined he's been suspended long enough and may resume his career. I am informing you of this since Smackdown and 205 Live share locker rooms, I'd not want you to be surprised by his presence next week. And if you could please... consider not confronting him. I know things are still close to the surface for you, and I understand how you feel, but it won't accomplish anything."

Jack exhales roughly, staring at Drake. His gaze is haunted, still remembering the pool of blood spreading under Brian, how motionless and still he'd been for hours post-surgery. "I make no promises," he says and Drake nods.

"As I said. Just consider it." He sees Jack to the door and then hesitates. "I'm glad Mr. Kendrick is recovering nicely. Please tell him we look forward to his return."

Jack nods tensely. Turns and leaves, his teeth grinding together as he thinks about Daniel getting off with very little actual punishment. _Brian could've died,_ he thinks, eyes dark with utter loathing towards everyone involved in this situation. "Why am I the only one who bloody cares about that?!"

"Jack?" Jack twitches and turns, prepared to yell at whoever it is, before stopping short, finding Akira staring at him with alarm. "Is Brian...?"

Jack realizes what Akira must be thinking and shakes his head. "No, no, Brian is fine. He's at home resting." He steps closer and stares at Tozawa. "Daniel Bryan is returning next week. They're not even stripping his title, everything is going to continue on as if nothing happened. As if Brian didn't almost die and will now have this bloody scar on his side, and-"

Tozawa listens to him rant for a few moments longer before stepping closer and tucking Jack in close, petting his neck soothingly. It shocks Jack into silence and he blinks blankly ahead, startled by how _nice_ this hug feels, especially by a man he never really had much use for until recently, until the hospital, when Akira was the only one who waited patiently with him for Brian to wake up, had only left when he couldn't get out of responsibilities for the WWE. He exhales off of a shudder and reaches up, gingerly hugging Akira back. "He's going to be fine," Tozawa tells him softly. "Daniel Bryan will not disrupt his recovery no matter what happens there."

Jack swallows hard, finding an odd kind of comfort from this. "You know, I can almost see why Brian chose to become friends with you."

Tozawa pulls back and grins at him, squeezing his arms before lifting them enthusiastically. "Hah! Hah!"

"... I said _almost..._ "

A couple weeks pass and Brian gets his stitches out, Jack unable to stop himself from brushing his fingers against the reddened flesh, the raised line of his scar while Brian's shirt is off later, Jack pausing in the middle of changing his bandage. It doesn't look awful, considering, but it's such a brutal reminder of how badly things almost went that he can't get over it. Brian grips his hand and lifts it to his lips, kissing his palm in a way that sends shivers down his spine, distracting him at least a little from his horrible thoughts. "Hey, Jack." When their eyes lock, he smiles faintly. "I'm ok."

"You almost weren't."

"But I am." He purses his lips and pulls Jack closer, sitting up to kiss him. "I'm ok." Jack wants to protest, say something else, but Brian continues to press against him, and Jack closes his eyes, giving in to Brian's ministrations. "I'm ok," he insists, hands brushing under Jack's shirt, easing it off of his shoulders.

"Brian, we can't-" Jack exhales, trying to pull back, slow things down.

Brian seems nonplussed. "Doc and I had a nice conversation while you were dealing with paperwork and he said as long as we took it slow, and careful, I was cleared for everything _but_ wrestling basically."

Jack narrows his eyes at him. "Like I'm going to believe heresy, Mr. Kendrick."

Brian laughs a little. "Even had him write it down on this little sheet of paper and sign it so you'd know." He hands it over and Jack examines it, even checks it against other papers the doctor had signed. "Believe me now? Or do you need to call him too?"

"It's an idea," Jack says lowly, but it's nearly 10 PM and he's missed this, being so close to Brian. "If you hurt _anywhere_ , if it doesn't feel right-"

"I'll tell you," Brian promises. "I swear, Jack."

Jack sighs and pulls Brian back in, fanning his face with his hands before kissing him. "I've missed this," he groans, so careful as he wraps his arm around Brian's waist, fingers grazing against the edges of his bandage, and parts his lips, feeling Brian immediately move to lick into him. "I've missed you..."

Brian nods, not bothering to break their connection by speaking, instead shifting so he's pressed flush against Jack to show how much he has as well.

WWE comes to the LA area the next week and Jack reluctantly allows Brian to come with him when he drives out for the week's Smackdown/205 Live event. He's gone out of his way to avoid Daniel Bryan the last few weeks out of respect for both Drake and Brian's requests the last few weeks, but he feels like this week will not go as smoothly, especially with Brian by his side. But he knows it's good for Brian as he works at getting healthy and cleared to go back to wrestling, to be back around their friends and coworkers.

Akira hugs Brian as tightly as he dares when he sees him and Brian chuckles, hugging him back. "Hey, man. How's it going?"

Cedric, Ali, Noam and the members of Lucha House Party all greet Brian eagerly too, Jack hovering back as all of the people he and Drew tend to have the most issues with with happily welcome Brian back into the fold. It's odd to watch Brian interact so cheerfully with all of the people they'd had worked against in the past, but yeah, things have changed. Brian isn't the same man he was before- Jack and Drew had seen to the beginning of his transformation. Spending time with guys like Akira had done the rest. But deep down inside, he's still Brian, and Jack warms from the inside out when he turns around and grips Jack's hand, drawing him back to his side as the others watch, Tozawa leading the way to the catering tables.

Jack is sipping some weak excuse for tea, half-heartedly listening to the discussion going around the table about some meme going around the internet, Brian laughing at something Noam had said, when everything suddenly stops. Tension surrounds the table and Jack looks up, almost choking on his tea when he sees Daniel Bryan walking hesitantly up to them. "Oh, absolutely not," he snaps, standing up to face off with the man. "I'm not letting you near him, get out of here."

He hears chairs scraping behind him and isn't that surprised when Akira steps up alongside him, grin wiped off of his face as he stares down the WWE champion. He's even less surprised when _Brian_ gets between all of them, his hands held out to keep them from getting any closer to the other. "Jack," he says lowly. "Calm down. He's not going to hurt me. You just want to talk. Don't you, Daniel?"

"Yeah," Daniel says, and Brian waits patiently until Jack steps back, Akira reluctantly taking his seat. "I... I didn't know," he says helplessly. "Brian, I swear to you, I just _reacted._ I saw red when you kept taking Ali's side over mine, and I just... I did the first thing I thought of, and that was..." He closes his eyes and digs his knuckles into his forehead, gritting his teeth. "I didn't know there was a knife on that table. When they told me you were in surgery, and I was in jail and couldn't _do_ anything, didn't know if you were going to be ok..." He drops his hand, staring at Brian with miserable, tired eyes. "I'm so damn sorry, Brian. I didn't mean for any of that to happen. And I'm so, so glad you're going to be ok. You're one of my oldest friends, and I never want to lose that. Really, I don't."

Brian nods. "I accept your apology." He feels Jack huff behind him, lips quirking up in a wry smile. "But I really wasn't taking Ali's side over yours, I just wanted you to think for a minute. We've both been in this business a long time, Daniel, and I'm so happy you've found this success after your injuries and everything you've been through, but it doesn't mean we need to always knock down the guys still struggling to find their footing, you know? We should help them, uplift them. Not tear them down."

Jack feels a little choked up hearing this, remembering Brian saying similar things after beginning to work together with Tozawa, some epiphany he'd had after Drew's betrayal. He steps closer and rests a hand on Brian's shoulder, both of them watching as Daniel exhales and looks away. "I get what you're saying, but I can't think like that right now. I shouldn't have taken our argument to the level that I did though. Maybe... maybe some time, we can talk about things. Away from here, when things are less tense, and I'm not as eager for a fight. But for now, I'm gonna let you get back to your food." He stares at Jack for a moment. "Take good care of him."

Jack sneers and doesn't give Daniel the satisfaction of a response, watching as he turns his attention back on Brian, smiling sadly before he adjusts his title on his shoulder and walks off. "Well, that was a delight," Jack mumbles as they regroup, reclaim their seats.

"Thanks for letting him have his say," Brian says softly, taking Jack's hand in his and rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. "I know you hated every minute of it, but I needed to hear him out."

"I suppose," Jack huffs, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he bursts out, "Him telling _me_ to take good care of you! Bloody-" His rant is stopped before it can even really get started when Brian grips him by the back of his head and draws him in, kissing him right there in front of everyone. For the second time in ten minutes, all sounds of eating and chatting ceases and Jack exhales roughly, debating with himself whether he really cares about what everyone is thinking regarding this sudden makeout session. _Absolutely bloody not,_ he finally decides, and kisses Brian back hungrily, clinging to his jacket to hold him in place.

When they finally pull apart, Brian presses his forehead to Jack's and stares at him with a grin, eyes gleaming in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. "Hey Jack?"

"Yes, Mr. Kendrick?"

"I'm in love with you."

Jack blinks. Hard. Neither of them had been much for affectionate claims the first time around, just allowing themselves to be without clear cut labels or declarations like this hanging between them. But Brian had changed since then and, Jack thinks, perhaps he has too. Not the clown that Brian had looked upon with such disdain before, and not the callous, cold shell of a man he'd become either. Maybe... something in between the two. Someone who takes his career seriously enough but can also stop and admit his feelings for those around him.

He sniffs softly and nods, smiling. "I am in love with you too," he admits, watching the surprise and joy crossing Brian's face.

Cedric whoops and Brian laughs when Akira claps him on the back, grinning happily at him as he turns back to Jack. "So I guess we're officially giving this another try, huh?"

"It appears so." Jack smiles as Brian leans back in for another kiss, all doubts and fears leaving him as he sighs softly into Brian's mouth. _Not the easiest path to a reunion,_ he thinks, fingers grazing Brian's bandage once more and thinking about how close they came to losing all of this. _But I will make the most of it, either way._


End file.
